H. Res. 506 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

March 11, 2014. 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic, passed away on December 18, 2011, at 75 years of 

age, at his country home in Hra ́decˇek in the Czech Republic; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel is widely recognized and respected 

throughout the world as a defender of democratic principles and human rights; 

Whereas through his extensive writings, Va ́clav Havel courageously challenged the ideology and legitimacy of the authoritarian communist regimes that ruled Central and 

Eastern Europe during the Cold War; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel, who was imprisoned multiple times by 

the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia for his advocacy 

of universal human rights and democratic principles, 

maintained his convictions in the face of repression; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel was one of the founders of Charter 77, 

a group of 242 individuals who called for the human 

rights guaranteed under the 1975 Helsinki accords to be 

realized in Czechoslovakia; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel was a cofounder of the Committee for 

the Defense of the Unjustly Prosecuted, an organization 

dedicated to supporting dissidents and their families 
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which helped to advance the cause of freedom and justice 

in Czechoslovakia; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel, as leader of the Civic Forum movement, was a key figure in the 1989 ‘‘Velvet Revolution’’, 

the peaceful overthrow of the Czechoslovakia communist 

government; 

Whereas, on February 21, 1990, Va ́clav Havel addressed a 

Joint Session of Congress where he stated, ‘‘Thomas Jefferson wrote that ‘governments are instituted among 

men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the 

governed’. It was a simple and important act of the 

human spirit. What gave meaning to that act, however, 

was that the author backed it up with his life. It was not 

just his words but it was his deeds as well.’’; 

Whereas following the Velvet Revolution, Va ́clav Havel was 

democratically elected as President of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic in 1990, and after a peaceful partition forming 2 separate states, democratically elected 

President of the Czech Republic in 1993; 

Whereas under the leadership of Va ́clav Havel, the Czech Republic became a prosperous, democratic country and a respected member of the international community; 

Whereas also under his leadership the Czech Republic became 

a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 

(NATO) on March 12, 1999, and continues to be a valued ally of the United States; 

Whereas during his lifetime, Va ́clav Havel received praise as 

one of the world’s great democratic leaders and was 

awarded many international prizes recognizing his commitment to peace and democratic principles; 
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Whereas, on July 23, 2003, President George W. Bush honored Va ́clav Havel with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States Government, for being ‘‘one of liberty’s great heroes’’; 

Whereas after leaving office as president of the Czech Republic in February 2003, Va ́clav Havel remained a voice on 

behalf of democratic dissidents worldwide and against authoritarian regimes; and 

Whereas the legacy of Va ́clav Havel inspires those that advocate and work for freedom from tyranny: Now, therefore, 

be it 

Resolved, That to honor the life and legacy of Va ́clav 

Havel, the House of Representatives Fine Arts Board shall 

provide for the display of an appropriate bust of Va ́clav 

Havel in the House of Representatives wing of the United 

States Capitol. 

Attest: 

Clerk.